


For You, My Dear ...

by WinteRey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fluff, Knight Hinata Shouyou, M/M, Prince Kageyama Tobio, Romance, Slow Dancing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinteRey/pseuds/WinteRey
Summary: Hinata islateto Kageyama's important twenty-first birthday ball.He knew the crown prince would be upset by it.----------“Please excuse my intrusion, but in my humble opinion, the ball would be meaningless without His Highness’s own presence.”The prince pinned him with  a glare. “I would be present, if onlya certain knightwas there to watch over my safety in a room full of crowded and unknown guests.”
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68
Collections: Kagehina Exchange





	For You, My Dear ...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FairyThoughtless](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyThoughtless/gifts).



> This is basically just fluff, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless! :D

Hinata tried to control his breathing as he stepped into the ballroom—so he could pretend that he wasn’t sweating bullets worth a marathon and was actually worth the dashing outfit Yachi had helped him put on. After all, it would be a shame. It wasn’t everyday that the knight got to walk around in the castle out of his armor.

Thankfully, he was fashionably late. The ballroom already filled, everyone was too busy to pay his entrance any heed.

Sighing in relief, Hinata tried to wipe down his sweaty palms on his trousers—with material so _soft_ it almost felt foreign—frowning when he realized he couldn’t. He forgot that Yachi had also put on silk gloves for him.

 _I don’t understand how some people can comfortably wear this all the time,_ he mused to himself, observing the people in the ballroom.

His frown only deepened when he failed to see the one person he had been searching for. He thought he might have just missed them, at first, slipped amongst the crowd. But when he did a double check, carefully eyeing each noble and royalty alike in fancy tailored coats and dresses, he came to the conclusion that the person really hadn’t been there.

Shaking his head, Hinata sneaked around the perimeter, dodging most people while staying on the down low so he could approach someone that might be able to help him.

He spotted a familiar, bespectacled tall blond man, in white dress shirt and ivory vest, sipping on a glass of wine while maintaining a serious looking conversation. He looked a bit bored, to be honest, so Hinata thought he might as well save him from his misery.

Brushing past, he discreetly tapped on the man’s shoulder without making a sound, and waited on the sidelines.

Hinata saw how the man tensed for a millisecond, before a polite, small apologetic smile took over his expression as he excused himself to the people he had been speaking with.

Smoothly moving to stand beside Hinata, the man spoke without even sparing him a glance.

“You’re here for the party?” he asked, the hint of surprise barely heard from monotone. He clearly hadn’t thought that Hinata would be present.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Hinata replied with an easy grin. “Unlike you, I actually wanted to be here.”

The man somehow managed to look both amused and exasperated at the same time. “Is that so?”

“Definitely.” Hinata nodded to himself, no doubt in his voice. “Except for one small problem, that is. Do you perhaps, know where–”

“The prince left the ballroom right after sundown, through the eastern exit,” the man answered before Hinata could even finish his question. He was the prince’s most dependable aide, so he wouldn’t be lying. “I don’t know where to, though.”

“That helps enough,” Hinata replied gratefully. “Thanks, Tsukishima.”

Tsukishima only nodded, not saying anything else while Hinata slinked out of the ballroom following his directions.

Hinata did see him watch from the corner of his eyes, though, with a tiny but sincere tilt of lips.

Tsukishima might not have known where the prince had run off to, but Hinata had a hunch. His feet didn’t need to bring him far; just taking a corner from the eastern exit towards the garden that was the inner castle courtyard, where you can enjoy the magnificent night view at its fullest.

Arriving at his destination, Hinata quieted down his steps into complete silence, not wanting to immediately reveal himself so he could take a moment to just, _look._

And _look,_ Hinata did.

The silhouette of a man standing by the lone fountain, looking regal and imposing in royal dark blue and silver accents; all in the doublet, pants, and long fur-lined cape that accentuates his ideal height. But even without consideration to the fancy clothing, there had always been beauty and grace in inky-black strands blowing soft under the wind, flawless unblemished skin that stretched over a sharp jawline, and ocean eyes one could drown in.

Amidst enchanting greens of leaves and soft pastels of blooms, under the shine of moonlight, the man _glowed_.

It was almost unfair how he could rival the view of the night, in the best way possible. However, the thought didn’t spark any envy in Hinata. Instead, he felt … warm.

 _Still, I probably shouldn’t just stand and stare_.

Hinata had always been a man of action, after all.

So, he let himself step into the lush courtyard, boots grazing the grass enough to create a soft whistle that announced his entry.

Just as the other turned around, Hinata opened up his mouth, too. “Please excuse my intrusion, but in my humble opinion, the ball would be meaningless without His Highness’s own presence,” he said, a hint of tease in his tone contradicting the solemn words.

Said highness’s ocean eyes widened upon seeing him, glinting in surprise. Hinata preened when he noticed the prince’s gaze then swept him top to bottom, appraising, _appreciating._

Subtlety was never in the other man’s dictionary. He had always been blunt in everything he did. Hinata would be lying to say he wasn’t half amused, other than the part embarrassment and nervousness.

He mindlessly wondered if his own black attire accented with gold, very matching with the prince’s blue and silver, was by coincidence. Then again, knowing Yachi, it most likely was on purpose. Hinata liked that he matched with the prince, and judging by the pleased expression he could now see, the other probably thought the same.

Before Hinata had the chance to comment on it, though, the prince's gaze flitted back to his face with a glare. “I _would_ be present, if only _a certain knight_ was there to watch over my safety in a room full of crowded and unknown guests,” he accused.

Hinata had to bit back his tongue from calling out the ineffective lie there. The prince _knew_ that the guest screening was extremely tight, and the king had appointed extra guards in precaution to Hinata’s absence. The only reason he would’ve brought that up might be because he wanted an answer.

That, and he was being … petty.

Something others would find bizarre from the normally wise royalty, but _adorable_ to Hinata.

“My apologies, Your Highness. It wasn’t of my own will, to be sent away for a quest mere days before His Highness’s birthday ball,” Hinata entertained him anyway. Because he was nice like that. He even made a show of bowing, asking for grace. “His Majesty, The King, ordered me himself.”

“The King, huh,” the prince maintained a scowl, unamused. By the answer or by the order, Hinata wasn’t sure. Maybe a bit of both. “Well last time I checked, you were _my_ personal knight, not my father’s. You should only be answering to _me._ ”

He took a step closer towards Hinata, which the knight reciprocated.

“That is true. But I couldn’t deny the kingdom ruler’s words, which by law, were absolute.”

Another step.

“I turned twenty-one today, the throne is now rightfully mine.”

Yet another step.

“Yes, but His Highness still needs to wait for a proper coronation for the crown.”

A huge step, eliminating most of the distance between them, as the prince finally exploded.

He grabbed Hinata by his white ruffled shirt, slender fingers clutching hard and pulling him closer. “Those are just formalities! I do _not_ need a crown to make you obey me, Hinata!”

Unknowing people would think that the silence that followed was tense—that an act of deviance now would end deadly.

But Hinata knew better. He knew to stare right back into the prince’s eyes, unflinching despite being forced to tilt his head up in a rather uncomfortable position. To the flaming outburst, he didn’t waver. Instead, he felt the fondness rushing through his veins, and he _felt_ his own expression melting into a smitten smile as he admitted,

“Yeah, you really don’t. All you have to do is ask.”

The sudden lack of formality and the drastic change of tone did it all. Hinata watched, in part awe and adoration, as the prince’s cheeks colored slightly when he too, dropped his own act, unable to keep it up under such sincere acknowledgement. He let go of his hold, looking away to try and hide from amber eyes.

“Damn right,” the man huffed, a signature slight pout completely smashing the previous scary image away.

Hinata couldn’t help it, he laughed, loud and echoing. “Language! Kageyama, you’re a prince!”

“I’m twenty one, now. Even if the old geezer heard me, he no longer have the authority over me to be mad about it,” he replied smugly, looking beyond pleased with himself. “He deserves it, for sending you away right before my birthday like that.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Hinata did sound remorseful this time.

“It’s not your fault,” Kageyama admitted, now that the charade was over. “Like you said, you couldn’t deny the king’s direct order. If only I was there to stop him, though …”

“Hey, hey,” Hinata quickly cut him off, not wanting Kageyama to be the one taking the blame. “Really, it’s not a big deal. In the end, I managed to come back on time, didn’t I?”

“You still missed more than half of the ball. Without you there, it was unbearable. I had to leave.”

“I’m sorry, I–”

“Stop apologizing, dumbass.”

Hinata laughed. He would never get over how Kageyama always managed to mix a caring act and an insult in one single sentence. He knew that Kageyama did it mostly to mask his own embarrassment; not wanting people to know how _soft_ he could actually be.

It was incredibly endearing sometimes, but in a way, it made Hinata felt even guiltier for having to let him go through that.

“I understand. However, please allow me to fix my prior absence by making your night better, my prince.” That said, Hinata bent down low and solemn, one hand resting on his chest, while slowly lifting up the other for an offer. “May I have this dance?”

Kageyama blinked, a wobbly smile slowly making its way to his lips. “What makes you think that I want to dance at all, when I had purposely avoided the ballroom?” Yet, contradicting his own words, he slipped a hand into Hinata’s without missing a single beat.

Hinata grinned and straightened his posture back up. Gently pulling the prince close so they were almost chest to chest, for the first time that night, Hinata thanked the gloves covering both of their hands. With it, Kageyama wouldn’t be able to notice the new scars and scratches now marring his arms, fresh from his little quest.

Resting the other gloved hand by the prince’s waist, Hinata brought their faces closer, too, staring deep and letting himself drown into ocean blue that seemed to have reflected the night sky.

“For one, I know that you actually like dancing,” then, after a short moment deciding to correct his statement, “with me, that is.”

Kageyama lifted his own free hand to rest on Hinata’s shoulder. He didn’t deny the claim, but refused to say an admittance to it either—he was prideful like that, and Hinata adored him for it. He wasn’t surprised when Kageyama opted to change the conversation, instead. “How did you manage to find me?”

At this point, they had started to sway along with the faint music heard from the distance, from the ballroom where the _actual_ ball was still on-going—soft piano, strings, blending so well and flowing through the wisp of the night.

Right leg forward, left leg open, and then back close. Left leg backward, right leg open, and then back close. Repeat, repeat, _repeat_.

“Tsukishima told me he saw you running away through the eastern exit.” Hinata said, then smirked. “Funny. He could’ve, _should’ve_ stopped you. But he didn’t.”

Kageyama shook his head a little. “He wouldn’t. He knew how unwilling I was to be there without you.”

“He seemed to not have expected me to be back on time,” Hinata mused.

“No one was.” As he said it, the seriousness was back in Kageyama’s gaze. “When we found out, we all thought you’ll be gone for another week, at least.”

Hinata scoffed. “You all underestimated me.”

“We were being _logical._ ” Kageyama glared at him. “You were off to some bizarre, monster slaying quest.”

“I was chosen for a reason,” Hinata shrugged. “I was, _am,_ the best damned knight this kingdom has. For that reason, too, you shouldn’t be surprised that I can finish quicker than any other.”

That earned him a raised brow. “Well, aren’t you cocky?”

“I’m just speaking the truth.”

Hinata raised their interlocked hand high, a leading gesture. Kageyama stared in disbelief, but ended up saying nothing as he relented and let himself be spun around, awkwardly bending due to their difference in height. Hinata giggled, pulling the prince back close after it.

He did had a split second moment of a wince, though, when stretching his arm far. That apparently didn’t go unnoticed from Kageyama, who instantly eyed his whole arm critically.

 _Ah, crud,_ Hinata cursed in his head.

“You hurt yourself.” It wasn’t a question. “How bad was it?”

Hinata averted his head, trying to get out easy. “Ah, yeah, it’s nothing bad …”

Utilizing his moment of hesitance, Kageyama let go of his shoulder and moved Hinata’s hand on his waist. The prince switched them over, so he could take lead.

“Hinata …” he called, subtle threat underlying his tone.

Hinata gulped, still refusing to look back even as he felt Kageyama urgently squeezed his waist. “I might have got … some gashes stretching across my back,” he reluctantly answered.

The worry was instantly obvious from Kageyama. “You have treated them well, haven’t you?”

Hinata bit his own lips and said nothing.

“Hinata!”

“I had them cleaned and bandaged, don’t worry!” He tried to placate.

Kageyama glared harder. “You dumbass! Why didn’t you go to the healer?! Don’t tell me–”

“If I do, I wouldn’t be able to come to the ball,” Hinata confessed, finally looking at Kageyama.

“You–” Kageyama never finished his sentence. He looked like he was torn with a lot of different feelings because of Hinata’s answer.

For a bit, they didn’t speak. Yet, they continued to sway along in a waltz, steps never faltering. No matter what, they were always in-tune with each other. Whenever one moved, the other followed, never left behind.

Hinata followed Kageyama's lead easily. Then again, he had years of practice—of chasing over the man's footsteps. Compared to that, dancing was easy.

Relaxing, even. Especially with just the two of them there, no one else to pry into the private moment. 

“I still– I still don’t get why you have to go on that mission,” Kageyama broke the silence after he managed to gather his thoughts. “It was dangerous, yet you rushed it, too.”

Hinata opened his mouth, but Kageyama beat him to it, apparently not finished with his rant.

“Is it– Is it because you still want to prove yourself to others?” Kageyama sounded frustrated, holding Hinata’s hand tighter. “Because if so, that’s– dumb. Hinata, you’ve proven yourself enough. You’ve proven yourself when as an unnoticed peasant, you slay your way up the knightly tournaments and got to the top. My father acknowledged you as worthy, _everyone_ acknowledged you as worthy.”

He pulled Hinata flush against his body, leaving no space between them.

“Even if they don’t, it wouldn’t matter. I can rightfully take the throne now, and so only _my_ words would matter.” Kageyama leaned down, resting their foreheads together. Shutting his eyes, he whispered, “And to me, you were always worthy. From the very first moment we clashed on that mock tournament I snuck out to, way back when we were fourteen. From the moment you made that oath to surpass me so you could _protect_ me, you had already been worthy.”

Hinata took a few seconds to let the prince’s words of assurance sink into his mind. The warmth from before came back full force. He knew that, he had always known that. He knew that this man, who had stolen his heart even before Hinata had known his identity as _the_ crown prince, valued him. That was why he had tried so hard, after all. Going against the world to carve his own path, so he could stay by Kageyama’s side, proper.

Like the prince had said, he succeeded, too. All the hard work paid off, and now, this man …

This _ethereal_ looking man, with lashes softly brushing against his cheeks, inky-black strands shimmering under the moonlight, was now in his arms. To protect, to hold, to _love._

_I am so blessed,_

“I know,” Hinata whispered back. Closing his eyes, too.

_And I’m not going to take it for granted._

“It still feels a bit like a dream,” Hinata confessed, gripping Kageyama’s shoulder tighter, confirming that the man was indeed, not just a figment of his longing. “Not climbing my way up the ranks, no. Because those I knew I rightfully earned through years of hard work. But receiving the people’s recognition, _your father’s_ recognition _and_ blessing.”

He opened his eyes back up. Letting go of Kageyama’s shoulder, he gently touched the man’s chin instead. Urging him to open his eyes too, to come closer.

Which the prince did, and Hinata reveled in the feeling reflected in a rare, saccharine gaze.

“… Above all, receiving your _love_. Knowing that our feelings are mutual.”

They stopped their steps, leaned in, and met halfway into a tender kiss.

A kiss that felt like magic. Like the sparks Kageyama casted when he zapped Hinata for being mischievous, but softer. Like the shiver caused by standing near Kageyama’s ice sculptures, but not cold. Like the burning embers Kageyama lit up when starting the fireplace, but more tender.

When they parted for air, a puff of white from the chilly night temperature slipped past Kageyama’s mouth. It looked oddly alluring. Or maybe it’s just Hinata, being enticed by everything Kageyama.

Hinata took a moment to dwell in the moment. Wasn’t this the perfect scene? Just him and Kageyama in each other’s embrace, by the fountain in a beautiful garden, after they slow danced under the natural soft spotlight provided by the moon.

It was perfect.

It was the moment he had been waiting for.

“Kageyama,” he whispered the name like a secret. “Actually, I lied before. I’m sorry.”

Kageyama blinked. He still looked dazed and breathless from the kiss. “Huh?”

“The king didn’t send me on a quest,” Hinata admitted. “I asked permission from him to undergo it, myself.”

Now, the prince just looked baffled and confused. “W-what?”

“You were right, I had all the acknowledgements I needed. Especially now that you turn twenty-one, ready for the throne, no one could oppose us anymore.” Hinata smiled, feeling a little shy. The pouch hidden in his inner pocket suddenly felt heavy. “So I thought– I thought, why not take a step even further, and go _all the way?_ ”

“Hinata? What–?” Kageyama questioned when Hinata pulled away from their embrace and took a step back.

Dropping down on one knee into a formal bow, Hinata took the pouch out, letting the string loose to reveal a bright, precious and rare sapphire gemstone hastily chained on a necklace.

“I’m sorry, I have no time to properly embed it into jewelry. I just got it from my successful slay, after all,” Hinata chuckled. “But I figured you only deserve the best.”

Kageyama finally understood where he was going, at least. But he seemed struck speechless, unable to do anything but stare at Hinata with wide, shocked eyes.

Hinata had faith, though. So, he gathered his courage and asked the question.

“Kageyama Tobio, my soon-to-be king …” he took a deep breath, and exhaled a bit shakily. “Will you marry me?”

The answer wasn’t verbally spoken. But when Kageyama tugged on Hinata’s arm, hard, so he could drop a bruising kiss on his lips, wound and pain was forgotten in lieu of the blissful sensation.

And when he mouthed the same word over and over against Hinata lips, making him laugh, the knight, now officially future royal consort, wondered why he even thought about any possibility for the answer to be anything but _yes._


End file.
